CH 10.1

Zoe’s eyes glowed with interest.

Instead of being surprised by my revelation, Cho took an interest in it. As expected, Cho was different from others.

Ordinary people would laugh at an immature child dreaming of marrying a prince.

However, instead of laughing, Zoe had an amused look in her eyes.

She looked at me, thoroughly calculating if there was anything to gain from what I said.

But she didn’t really believe in what I said, whether it would become true or not.

There was a slight suspicion behind her eyes.

“Marry His Highness Cassion, you said?”

For instance, I shook my head.

Now he refused my proposal, but it was only a matter of time before Cassion took my hand.

I was confident in making it like that.

“Ha!”

Zoe sighed.

I couldn’t read her feelings.

I slowly explained my plan.

“I am going to marry His Highness, inherit the head of the family status, and invest in your guild. In return, please always prioritize my commission before anything else.”

“So, do you want me to work without compensation?”

“Of course not.”

I grabbed and ripped the necklace on my neck. The gold necklace was torn off and scratched my neck, but I didn’t care.

Zoe squinted her eyes while Janice was stunned in silence.

I casually rubbed the wound on the back of my neck and held out a necklace with a jewel the size of a thumb to Zoe.

“This is my down payment. Please find a person. The slums of the capital, sky blue hair, and around… 16 years old? The name is Rupert. There is not much time. I need that crazy doctor right away.”

***

Zoe accepted my request with a perplexed face after receiving an emerald jewel bigger than an adult thumb. While Zoe was processing my request, I also diligently did my part.

“I’m here, Your Highness.”

I was going to ask him to take a night walk again today.

I greeted Cassion after I opened his room’s door.

‘I’m tired of sneaking in to come to his palace.’

I shook off the dirt on her dress due to crawling through the secret passage.

‘But I can’t come and visit him openly.’

If someone found out that I was meeting Cassion, Count Corcos would play wicked tricks, and Dyson would freak out.

‘I shouldn’t get caught. Come to think of it, it’s been days since the last Count Corcos went quiet.’

I was told that Count Corcos, who left after I insulted him last time, was hurrying to meet the elders.

I also heard that he has been talking around that the family needs to designate a guardian urgently.

‘I need to persuade His Highness fast.’

There was a sense of urgency in me.

“Your Highness, are you sleeping?”

Unlike usual, Casion was quiet.

As I entered the room, I saw a Cassion with an unusual atmosphere surrounding him.

He sat covered himself in a blanket by the moonlit window while looking up at the sky.

It would have been a nice picture if he were a healthy child, but Cassion was skinny, and I could feel a somewhat cold air around him.

‘It’s like he is about to die soon.’

He smelled of profound helplessness that I wouldn’t be surprised that he died at any moment by now.

“Have you eaten? Did Pollock take good care of you?”

I walked across the room and put a chair next to Cassion. I talked to him while sitting in a chair. Still, Cassion did not answer.

It was a familiar feeling of being disregarded.

Cassion treated me as an uninvited guest for a while and tried to kick me out.

However, after scolding me to the point that his blood vessels were ready to pop any soon, he has been ignoring me.

I knew I would be ignored. Therefore, I didn’t feel bad about it.

I was convincing myself and smiled at Cassion.

I wanted him to get familiar with my smiling face, but he didn’t even look at me today.

I want to grab and shake his cheeks like a cute grumpy cat. But I couldn’t do it because I didn’t want to put my neck at stake.

“Your Highness, please don’t be stubborn and marry me.”

I thought the same repertoire would come out of his lips today as well. Let’s get married; I don’t want to, please marry me, get lost.

However,

“… Does it change anything if I do?”

An unexpected answer came out of Cassion’s mouth.

Before I knew it, he turned his back against the window frame and looked at me.

Only then could I see Cassion’s face straight.

Cassion’s condition was a mess today as well. His under eyes sunk, and there was blood all over his mouth.

‘Pollock, that brat, I told him to tell me everything without leaving anything out!’

Even though I knew that Pollock was in a situation where he couldn’t contact me frequently, looking at Cassion’s condition, I would blame Pollock if anything terrible happened to him.

What else did my prince go through?

“Tell me. Does anything change if I marry you?”

A thin hope, he tried to find it from me.

Strangely enough, sweet words that would typically have come out easily just hover around on the tip of my tongue.

What happened to you today?

“I’m asking you if I can cure this damn illness and get at Dyson if I marry you.”

Dyson must have been here. The last time I came to the palace, I remembered the words Dyson had spoken to Cassion.

His condition seemed to have improved, but it was easy to guess that Dyson had left Cassion a formidable defeat again this time.

As I looked straight into Cassion’s eyes, I answered.

“Yes. I will cure your illness, grind Dyson’s face– No, strangle Dyson’s throat.”‘

Words that sounded like determination came out of my mouth. I said clearly so that Cassion could trust me.